No treble

Kevin Johnson updates us from the low end

the No Treble community mourned this month as the world lost another giant of the bass: Joe Osborn, who played on countless hits from the 60s and beyond, died of pancreatic cancer at 81 years old.

Osborn was a native of Louisiana, where he spent his final days, but is best known for his studio work in Los Angeles, California. His first major hit came in 1961 with Ricky Nelson’s ‘Travelin’ Man’, which he had found as a demo and suggested to Nelson. After the band dissolved Osborn was able to do more freelance work. He quickly became a firstcall musician alongside others like drummer Hal Blaine and keyboardist Larry Knechtel. The same handful of players, who recorded nearly every hit of the 60s and early 70s, would later be known as the Wrecking Crew.

Osborn recorded on an amazing number of hits including ‘Memphis’ by Johnny Rivers, ‘California Dreamin’’ by the Mamas & The Papas, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by Simon & Garfunkel and many more. He also helped to discover the Carpenters and recorded on all of their albums. He would leave Los Angeles in 1974 for Nashville, where he continued his tradition of making hit songs in the country music scene.

Osborn eventually moved back to Louisiana and lived in semi-retirement while fostering up-and-coming musicians. During a 2012 interview in No Treble’s ‘Stories Behind the Songs’ column, he offered a piece of advice for bassists. ‘Young players ask me, ‘How do you think of all those things to play?’ And this is one of my lessons that I repeat over and over again: the song will tell you what to play if you listen. You get your ideas from either the melody or the vocal phrasing gives you rhythmic ideas.’

Joe’s bass-lines are still played constantly on the radio to this day, and if you’ve ever been in a cover band, you’ve likely been copying his work. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

In other news this month, Ryan Madora examined what makes Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic so great in her ‘Bass Players To Know’ column, Mitch Joel had a great chat with YYNOT’s Tim Starace on the Groove podcast, and readers ogled over the new Fender American Performer Series. Until next time, keep grooving!